CAMPUS NEWS From the Hill With Vaccine, Fall Could Approach Normalcy

BRIGHTER DAYS AHEAD: Students on the Ag Quad this spring semester

In early April, Cornell announced that students returning to classrooms, with a mix of instruction modes similar to the cur- the Ithaca, Geneva, and campuses for the fall rent semester, until critical thresholds have been met,” they 2021 semester must be vaccinated against COVID-19—making said. “Once sufficient herd immunity is reached, we will fully it one of the first universities nationwide to require the shot. institute in-person classroom instruction across all campuses.” “Medical and religious exemptions will be accommodated,” During spring 2021, the University’s efforts at containing President Martha Pollack and Provost Michael Kotlikoff said the virus have been largely successful, with the alert level rising in a statement, “but the expectation will be that our campuses from green (“new normal”) to yellow (“low to moderate risk”) and classrooms will overwhelmingly consist of vaccinated indi- only twice, for roughly two weeks each. The largest disruption viduals, greatly reducing the risk of infection for all.” As they came in late March, when—in the midst of the second yellow explained, those who can’t access the vaccine prior to arriving alert—the MBA program temporarily went entirely virtual due on campus, or whose vaccination is not recognized by to a COVID outbreak traced to gatherings for St. Patrick’s Day. State, will be expected to receive it soon after arrival, a process that the University will facilitate. “Although we all appreciate that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over and that we must remain Tuition Sees Smallest Rise in Decades vigilant around public health measures to protect ourselves and The Board of Trustees has set tuition for 2021–22, with an increase our community,” they said, “there is reason to be hopeful as we of 2.9 percent over current rates—the smallest hike that the plan for the future.” University’s endowed side has seen in more than half a centu-ry. Pollack and Kotlikoff also outlined a three-tiered plan for Before financial aid, undergrads in the endowed colleges and instruction this fall; which version is implemented will depend out-of-staters in the statutory (or “contract”) colleges will pay on the vaccination rate within the campus community. Officials $60,286, while New York residents in the statutory schools—CALS, are aiming for herd immunity, which would allow for in-person Human Ecology, and ILR—will pay $40,382. In announcing the classes without regular online options. If the rate is above 50 rates, the University noted that for the 2022 fiscal year, it will percent but has not reached herd immunity as defined by pub- con-tinue to meet the full financial needs of all undergrads, lic health officials, classes will still be held in person, but with regardless of economic uncertainties caused by the pandemic. enhanced safety measures including mask wearing, special “We knew that this was potentially a crisis with a two- or three- seating, additional ventilation, and surveillance testing. And year tail,” said Jonathan Burdick, vice provost for enrollment. if the rate is below 50 percent—a situation that the University “So we’re ready in the coming year to continue to meet need. considers unlikely—“we will begin the semester in de-densified And if more need is identified, we are committed to matching it.” PHOTO: JASON KOSKI/UREL KOSKI/UREL PHOTO: JASON

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To show how atomically thin materials can form themselves into 3D objects, two CU physicists have created the world’s ~ smallest self-folding origami bird (right), i:~/ measuring just 60 microns wide. ~>-- ‘Atkinson Hall’ Will Rise on the Hill Female veterinarians earn less than their male counterparts, researchers in the Vet A new multidisciplinary academic building is set to be built on college have found—with an annual difference of around $100,000 Tower Road, housing research in such areas as sustainability, among the top quarter of salaries. public health, cancer biology, immunology, and computation- al biology. Made possible through a $30 million gift from David Isolation has profound effects on the brains of paper wasps (left). Researchers Atkinson ’60 and Patricia Atkinson, the four-story, 90,000-square- in neurobiology and behavior found that foot structure (seen above in a rendering) will be located adjacent these social insects, who can recognize to Rice and Bruckner halls, overlooking . the faces of their peers, lose that ability when reared in solitude. It will include space for the existing Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability (for which the Atkinsons provided a naming gift of In a survey of more than 300 residents $80 million in 2010) as well as several new initiatives including a of Flint, Michigan, researchers from Cornell and the University of master of public health program and an immunology center. The Michigan found that the city’s water crisis is linked to widespread physical problems, including elevated lead levels and skin rashes, building will be designed by Texas-based Lake Flato Architects, as well as mental health issues such as recently named the nation’s top firm by Architect magazine. depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

Thanks in part to data from the Lab of Ornithology’s eBird project, the U.S. Fish ‘Touchdown confirmed.’ and Wildlife Service recently tallied 316,708 — NASA engineer Swati Mohan ’04, announcing bald eagles (right) across the forty-eight from mission control that the rover Perseverance contiguous states—quadruple the number had landed safely on the surface of Mars noted in its previous survey a decade ago.

Ceremonies Planned for Class of ’21 While this year’s celebration of new graduates won’t look like a typ- ical Commencement, it will be held in person. In April, President Pollack announced that Schoellkopf Stadium will host the festiv- ities for the Class of 2021 on Memorial Day Weekend—but to keep density low, a series of smaller ceremonies will be held instead of one large one, and only two guests per student will be allowed to attend. “We are considering a variety of formats, and final deci- sions will be informed by New York State guidance,” she wrote, “but we will include elements of both our traditional stadium cer- emony and new elements designed to highlight the very special nature of this year’s event.” The ceremonies will honor undergrads and graduate and pro- Wrestling Legend Headed to Olympics fessional students in Ithaca-based programs who are completing Kyle Dake ’13, a two-time world champion wrestler and Big degrees in May, or who did so in August or December 2020. Those Red phenom, has qualified for his first Olympic Games. In this who don’t live locally will be offered accommodationsn i a resi- spring’s Olympic trials, the Ithaca-area native defeated a fellow dence hall free of charge. Family and friends can also view the world champion—2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs— ceremonies via livestream, and recordings will be made avail- in the men’s freestyle seventy-four-kilogram finals to represent able afterward. Convocation, traditionally held the day prior to the U.S. in the postponed Tokyo games, to be held this summer. Commencement, will be fully virtual. Dake (seen above after winning the 2018 World Championship In her announcement, Pollack also detailed plans to honor the in Budapest, Hungary) made Big Red history by winning titles Class of 2020, which did not have a Commencement. They include each of his four years on the Hill—in four different weight class- a celebration on the Sunday of this year’s Virtual Reunion; an in- es. His Olympic appearance will mark the f rst by a former Cornell person event for 2020 grads and their families in Ithaca during wrestler in nearly six decades. Homecoming 2021; and a “singular 5th Reunion” in 2025. PHOTOS: ATKINSON, LAKE FLATO ARCHITECTS; ORIGAMI, CORNELL BERNADETT DAKE, SZABO/ALAMY UNIVERSITY; BIRDIMAGES/ISTOCK; EAGLE, SHEEHAN; MICHAEL WASP,

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Ithaca Beer to Take CTB Spot Giving Day Tops $10 Million The corner restaurant space that serves as an informal gateway to The seventh annual Giving Day—a twenty-four-hour fundraiser Collegetown—long home to Collegetown Bagels (CTB)—will soon held in mid-March—raised a record-breaking $10,040,921 to sup- host another iconic local brand. Last summer, the building at the port Cornell students, programs, and research. More than 14,400 corner of College and avenues that housed CTB and other donors contributed, representing all fifty states plus Puerto Rico businesses was demolished for redevelopment, and CTB relocat- and Washington, D.C., as well as nearly eighty countries. The ed across the street. As of August, the new building (seen above Athletics and Physical Education Annual Fund topped the leader- in a rendering) is slated to host a second outpost of Ithaca Beer board, with more than $3.3 million from upwards of 5,000 donors. Company, offering a full-service restaurant as well as libations. It will continue the tradition of outdoor dining in the high-profile spot, with a smaller version of the popular beer garden and eat- ery at the company’s headquarters off Route 13. Co-owned by Give My Regards to . . . Mari Rutz Mitchell ’98, MS ’03, Ithaca Beer has been in business These Cornellians in the news for more than two decades, producing a variety of ales, lagers, and non-alcoholic sodas. Composer Roberto Sierra, the Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities, and J. Meejin Yoon, BArch ’95 (left), dean of the ‘We basically threw everything College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, elected to the American Academy of Arts and at the vaccine.’ Letters. — Avery August, professor of microbiology and immunology, describing the development process during a Q&A Alexander Chung ’21, Anjan Mani ’23, and about the science of COVID-19 immunization Felipe Santamaria ’23, who saved the life of a man who fell into ’s forty-degree water in March.

Seth Harris ’83 (right), named to the National On Campus, Cannabis Is Off Limits Economic Council, where he will serve as President While New York State has legalized recreational marijuana for Joe Biden’s top labor adviser. adults aged twenty-one and over, it will still not be permitted on the Hill. In April, University executive vice president and CFO Charles Feeney ’56, founding chairman of the and the University’s most Joanne DeStefano, MBA ’98, issued a statement reminding the generous donor, the inaugural recipient of its campus community that Cornell “is subject to federal laws that Charles F. Feeney ’56 Lifetime Achievement Award expressly prohibit the possession, use, or distribution of cannabis for Entrepreneurship and Humanity, created “to honor successful entrepreneurs who have on University property or as part of University-sponsored events.” dedicated their lives to giving back.” Stated DeStefano: “The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act and the Drug-Free Workplace Act both condition Cornell’s receipt Andrew Karolyi (left), named dean of the of all federal funding—including support for research and student College of Business. He had been the acting dean since Kevin Hallock stepped down in financial aid—on the University’s implementation of programs March; he will now serve out Hallock’s term, and policies to prohibit the use of any illegal drug.” which ends June 30, 2024. PHOTOS: COLLEGETOWN, STUDENT AGENCIES PROPERTIES; YOON, ANDY RYAN; HARRIS, PROVIDED; KAROLYI, JESSE WINTER/JCB

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FUN WITH FRIENDS: The University offered a host of outdoor activities—from sports to games to arts and crafts—during March Wellness Days. The event was an alternative to Spring Break, which was not part of the campus calendar this year due to the need to discourage travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Welcoming the Class of 2025 In the midst of what Shawn Felton, Cornell’s executive director of undergraduate admissions, calls “a year like no other” for college TO COIN A PHRASE recruitment, the University admitted 5,836 students to the Class of 2025. They hail from forty-nine U.S. states (all but Wyoming) as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam; based on citizenship, they represent 113 countries. About The family of the late Neil Krieger ’62 has launched a 34 percent self-identify as underrepresented minorities and 59 campaign to get “orbisculate”—a word he invented as a percent as students of color. With campus closed to visitors due freshman—into the dictionary. What does it mean? to the pandemic, recruitment has been all virtual; those admitted a) Studying so long that you can’t see straight received an invitation to join CUontheHill, an online hub where b) Accidentally squeezing citrus juice into your eye they can chat with current students, alumni, faculty, and staff. c) Sharing a romantic kiss under a full moon

d) Obsessively saving foil by rolling it into a ball B : RE W S N A

Did You Know . . . Dorms Honor Alums, Cayuga Nation The names of three of the five dorms That a student foodie has more in the North Campus Residential than two million followers on Initiative were announced this TikTok? Jeremy Scheck ’22 spring. Two will honor alumni: (left), a double major in Spanish Nobel Prize-winning scientist and Italian in the College of Barbara McClintock 1923, PhD 1927 Arts & Sciences, creates wildly (far left), and Chinese scholar and popular cooking lessons on the diplomat Hu Shih 1914 (above right). The third will be called micro video platform. The vid- Ganedago: (pronounced Gah-NEN-dah-go)—the ancestral name eos—showcasing a wide variety for the land on which Cornell is built, in the language of the of cuisines—are an offshoot of indigenous Cayuga Nation. The names of the other two dorms his food blog, scheckeats.com, were unveiled last fall; they’ll each honor late alumnae, which he started when he was a Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’54 and novelist sophomore in high school. Toni Morrison, MA ’55. PHOTOS: WELLNESS (3), LINDSAY FRANCE/UREL; SCHECK, TIKTOK; MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS AND RARE CORNELL WORD, SHIH, BUSINESS MEDICINE; LIBRARY OF NATIONAL WIRE; MCCLINTOCK,

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